Churchill Downs announces new racing safety measures after outbreak of horse deaths

In the wake of the recent 12 equine fatalities during the spring meet at Churchill Downs, the Louisville track announced new safety initiatives and precautionary measures Thursday.

Many of the measures deal with restrictions for horses that have previously performed poorly.

According to a press release, the track held a Thursday morning meeting that included a presentation by California-based equine surgeon Dr. Ryan Carpenter, “who provided educational information and tools to trainers and practicing veterinarians about advanced interventions that can be considered for certain equine injuries.”

“The attending veterinarians and trainers at Churchill Downs are incredibly capable and knowledgeable,” said Dr. Will Farmer, Equine Medical Director for Churchill Downs Incorporated. “We feel a duty to provide the latest information on surgical interventions from an expert who experienced the challenges in California a few years ago that we currently face today. Any decision must be made first and foremost with the long-term well-being of the horse in mind. It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be efficiently, confidently and thoroughly relayed to the owners.”

During the meeting, Churchill announced the following initiatives:

▪ A pause of track-based incentives such as trainer start bonuses and purse pay-out allocations to every race finisher through last place. Purse pay-outs will now be limited to the top five finishers. Churchill Downs is engaged in ongoing discussions with horsemen to determine ways to reallocate these funds to best serve industry needs;

▪ Restricting the number of starts per horse to four starts during a rolling eight-week period;

▪ Ineligibility standards for poor performance. Horses that are beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved by the Equine Medical Director to return.

The measures will go into effect immediately, said the track.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) held a an emergency veterinary summit at Churchill Downs on Tuesday to discuss what it described as “the cluster” of deaths. Seven fatalities occurred in the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby on May 6, including two on Derby Day.

Churchill suffered its 11th fatality on Friday, May 26 when Lost in Limbo broke down in the seventh race and was unable to stand. The 7-year-old gelding was later euthanized. He was making his 35th career start, with winnings of $225,996 for trainer Michael E. Lauer. Lost in Limbo’s last race was April 15 when he finished third in a starter allowance at Oaklawn Park.

Kimberley Dream, a 7-year-old mare owned and trained by Freddie D. Winston, was pulled up in last Saturday’s first race, a $68,000 claiming race for fillies and mares 4 years old and up. The horse was later euthanized, becoming the track’s 12th fatality. A daughter of Colonel John, Kimberley Dream was making her 61st career start, including four this year. She had won seven races lifetime with career earnings of $174,372 but had finished seventh, 10th and seventh in her three previous 2023 starts. She had raced May 14 at Churchill Downs.

Twenty-four racing days remain in the 2023 Churchill Downs Spring Meet.

HISA adds additional safety measures

Later Thursday, HISA announced additional measures, that include:

▪ Effective with Saturday’s entries, HISA’s Director of Equine Safety and Welfare will conduct an additional layer of post-entry screening. HISA’s rule 2142 (Assessment of Racing Soundness) requires post-entry screenings of previous pre-Race inspection findings of entered Horses to identify Horses that may be at increased risk for injury. The review includes past performances, lay-ups (more than 60 days without a timed Workout or Race), last 30 days medical history, previous injury and lameness diagnostics, intraarticular corticosteroid injections, previous surgery and other individual Horse risk factors.

▪ HISA has directed the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) to collect blood and hair samples for all fatalities involving Covered Horses. The results from such collections will be used to facilitate investigations into the cause of such fatalities. The data collected by HIWU in connection with Covered Horse fatalities will also be used to track relevant statistics and trends in connection with fatalities.

▪ HISA has appointed Dr. Alina Vale, an equine forensics specialist, to conduct an additional thorough review of all necropsies performed on Covered Horses. Dr. Vale has conducted several postmortem reviews as an official veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board, including participating in the review following a spate of equine fatalities at Santa Anita in 2019.

PETA to protest with mobile billboard at Churchill Downs

PETA announced Thursday that it will have a mobile billboard “traversing” the streets outside the track, running “exclusive footage” of Lost in Limbo’s fatal fall. PETA has called on HISA to suspend racing and workouts during the investigations.

“We are putting a face on these horrible deaths because every one of the 12 horses was an individual,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA urges HISA to put horses’ welfare first by immediately halting racing and timed workouts at Churchill Downs until the cause or causes of these deaths can be determined.”

HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said Tuesday it does not have authority to shut down the track but is working with Churchill Downs officials.

Reforms implemented in California were credited with reducing that state’s reported equine deaths by 50 percent between the catastrophic 2018-19 season and last year, according to The Mercury News of San Jose.

The racing industry teamed with state officials to strengthen rules surrounding medication, rehabilitation for horses and education for track workers, among other issues.

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